Celebrity POP – Social Buzz – Upbeat Vibe

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So who thinks the Grammy Awards was a hit? Well it depends on what group you ask. There’re some who feel the Grammy’s got a problem with Hip-Hop. But there’re others who feel that women were well represented across award categories and show performances. That Alicia Keys is something else.

Even with the star power on stage and in the building, the showbiz talkers say it still wasn’t up to par with fan support. Yea Cardi B did her thing along with some of the other special honors, but the show didn’t get the traction it once had. Maybe they’ll go for new blood in the main office or production team.

It’s what Steve Harvey and Gabrielle Union are constantly working on. They tell a few secrets on keeping your performance level up and your favorability ratings high. Sometimes it’s finding new ways for getting your work to be seen as valuable. Because when familiarity sets in things can get stale, stagnant or stuck.

For example, social experts say by February that 80% of new year resolutions fall apart. Plus, as folks think about their work goals for the new year, they’ll be looking for something to set themselves apart in job performance. So what will it take to level-up the passion in your game this year?

Well Harvey and Union keep finding new ways to flex their muscle while keeping the clients happy. He recently hosted the NFL Honors which took him back to his stand-up comedy days. Union is set to join the Judges panel on America’s Got Talent (AGT). Giving it their best means being ‘new and improved’ in:

Hustle

Harvey shared his stand-up comedy formula for telling jokes. When you hear him break it down you get a sense for what works for him on stage. With other hosting gigs and projects he’s able to turn that formula into new moments of energy and smarts. That’s how hustle-love helps him keep his performance level up.

Flava

Ever notice how fast-food chains keep their menu ‘new & improved’? Sometimes it’s by adding a new topping to the burger. Other times it’s in adding a new ‘special sauce’ for flavor. Well Harvey and Union seem to get that. It’s how they add a new ‘topping’ to their skill set or ‘special sauce’ for more flava.

Vibe

Now that Union will be sitting in the Judges chair, she and the other newbies on the set are sure to bring a new vibe to the show. It’s as if vibe is a higher form of flava that comes with teamwork. It’s the chemistry of the collaboration from working together. Vibe is another way to make yourself a sought-after player.

Buzz

When bad things happen in careers or showbiz there’s a kind of ‘dark buzz.’ The news makes it to the tabloid section of social media. But when good things happen there’s a kind of ‘light buzz’ where you’re in the spotlight. They’ve seen both, having to go from dark to light and light to bright for more market appeal.

Harvey’s well on his way to turning his mojo into more jokes. Sounds like he’s thinking about returning to the stand-up stage. Union will be working hard on being a treat in her new AGT seat. They know keeping performance level up and favorability ratings high takes new rounds of hustle-love to make it rain.

Tip: Being ‘new and improved’ at work means keeping your performance level up and your favorability ratings high with new rounds of hustle-love in the game.

Talkback: What’s it gonna take for the Grammys to step things up next year?

No more drama! No more Madea? If fans had to choose they might say ‘No more drama for $200’ as Tyler Perry says he’s retiring the Madea character. It might be easier for them getting rid of the drama in life than for seeing the end of Madea. But at least Perry threw-in the fact that their layaway got pre-paid.

More Family Feud! More Little Big Shots! That’d be no-brainer for Steve Harvey. He’s set to host an upcoming holiday special where kids get to say and do their talent thing. While Perry and Harvey enjoy doing those projects, they know that in showbiz you gotta find ways to reinvent yourself.

In their work, they deliver a dose of laughs on stage and a drop of reality off stage. Even if it doesn’t get everybody excited for the holidays it might get some fans juiced-up for the new year. Either way, there’s enough good times and good vibes that can take us into next year for going from pre-lit to major hit.

Harvey says his wife loves to decorate for the season. Whether that means going with a pre-lit tree or starting from scratch is anyone’s guess. But the path we take to being fully-lit personally & professionally means embracing the things in life that come pre-lit: gifts, talents, calling, purpose, passion and dreams.

Perry and Harvey might explain in their tweetable moments that they’ve done the same in their careers. The holiday trees at home and across the country get to standout by adding some decorations. A good mix of ornaments, ribbons, tinsel and a tree-topper. So, success in going from pre-lit to major hit takes:

Skill

While talent is something that usually comes naturally, skill is doing it with your eyes closed. Perry and Harvey spent years developing their skill by turning an ability into a capability. While talent gives us the ability to shine, skill gives us the capability to elevate things that come naturally to a level of superiority.

Smarts

Harvey jokes about how his new beard has made him look and feel smarter. Well at least in the eyes of his grandkids. They keep quizzing him and he keeps answering. The smarts that makes folks lit professionally comes with more knowledge (as in book-smarts) and insight (as in street-smarts).

Social

Perry was a recent presenter at an event honoring the legacy of Nelson Mandela. You remember, it’s where Beyoncé graced the stage like an African goddess. What he’s doing by supporting everyday lives at home and abroad shows a level of care and influence that brings social impact.

Soul

Perry and Harvey give props to the God-side in them reaching new heights. Sometimes the things that hold us back are tied to F.E.A.R. – a case of ‘Fool’s Error Acting Ready’ to kill your hopes and dreams. But when God stirs your soul you get juiced-up with a new vision for going from pre-lit to major hit.

The Madea winddown tour is set for next year. Perry believes it’s time to bring new things to life. That’s also true when the holiday season ends and the resolutions-rollout begins. When we hit the stage for the upcoming 2019 wind-up it’s a good time for ‘no more drama’ and celebrating a ‘new you, new woo.’

Tip: Going from pre-lit to major hit personally and professionally means you don’t stop ‘til you get enough skill, smarts, social and soul.

It’s a kind of on-again off-again story that some folks want to just go away. Whether Diddy and Cassie are back together has others guessing. But there’s no guessing these days as to who is seen as the sexiest man alive. Idris Elba is getting his time to shine in the hunk-a-licious spotlight. Yea he’s moved on up.

Lots of folks have different feelings about things we try to do to move on or move up in life. Maybe that’s where Simon Biles comes in. She recently became the first American to win a medal in every event at a World Championship. She even got the silver in the uneven bars, probably her least favorite routine.

Biles is the most decorated American Olympic gymnast in history. She recently pulled-off the feat of performing at a championship while suffering with kidney stones. She described the experience as “life wanting her to sit-out but she put that request on hold.” She got through it with sheer ‘hustle love.’

Whether rekindling a relationship or reinventing yourself in the game, two key factors are to feel the love and feed the brand. Add to that how Simone Biles and Steve Harvey share great memories and power moves for ‘woo woo wooing’ the crowd. A certain magic keeps them rockin’ & rollin’ on success street.

When you checkout how they and others keep ‘going to the well’ and finding their ‘money stream’ there’re things they know about being in the flow. But there might also be some things they learned at Big Time University. That’s where you go to reinvent yourself and level-up your game by having a new:

Look

Every so often Harvey will post a throwback picture of his days doing standup. The laugh isn’t always in the joke as much as it might be in the suit he was wearing. Dressing in the ‘90s for success has a different look than dressing for success today. How we reinvent ourselves sometimes needs a new look.

View

The look is something that happens on the outside. But the view also happens on the inside. Biles was dealing with kidney stones on the inside so she had to have the right attitude in order to come out on top. It can be hard to reinvent yourself or level-up your game without a new attitude or big-picture view.

Push

Biles knows that it’s not an easy road to return to the next Olympics after her breakout performance the last time. She’s on a new push to make the team and rack-up the score. When you’re the one others have their eyes on, it could be a blessing or a curse. So her push helps her reach for more as a big timer.

Promise

Harvey tells the story of finding himself in a bad spot in a past relationship. He also had low moments where he was ready to give-up on his dreams. At those times, one thing that helped to turn things around was a promise he made to himself and to God. A promise can help us move on or move up in life.

Harvey’s new-look website gives clues for where he’s trying to go in biz. Biles’ new push has her performing at a major level with two years left to go before the next Olympics. The way they go about reinventing themselves is a good reminder for how a new attitude can help us reach for something good.

Tip: When you reinvent yourself, it takes a new look and a new view to create a new you.

Talkback: Which one has you rollin’: Harvey’s throwback pics or Biles’ next-level push?

No matter how you feel about the recent Emmys, it’s safe to say the stars came out before night. The pre-show gets folks ‘spilling some tea’ or flashing some skin. The fashion runway is where some go to work. It’s also where some come to play. But doing great work is more than just winning at awards shows.

Think about Rihanna and her philanthropic efforts. She’s bringing attention and resources to the issue of global education. She’s putting a spotlight on places around the world where getting an education is less a right and more a luxury option. She hopes to train-up a ‘schooled generation.’

Recently Steve Harvey and his wife got props for social media posts of their grandchildren showing some home training. The Harvey’s were sure to give credit to the kids’ parents. The clips became a ‘cheek pinch’ moment that might even be seen some time later in a segment on his daytime TV show.

Their efforts remind us of the steps that are involved to train-up as a child or as an adult. Plus, there’s a difference between how we train-up for a job and how we level-up for a great performance. It’s as if life has an Act I with formal educational training and an Act II of more informal training that’s ongoing.

Rihanna made a similar point in a recent Op-ed article where she talked about her education experience in Barbados. But she’s also grateful for the global education she’s gotten from traveling the world through music. For them, great work and ‘hustle love’ is in travelling the 4-corners of success by way of:

The Dream – and how gifts let you pop

In his book Harvey talks about discovering your gifts. A gift is like your secret sauce, your magic potion, your hidden gem. How gifts work is like popcorn. Each kernel has a pocket of water. As the temperature rises it becomes steam which makes the kernel pop. As your energy kicks-in, gifts let you rise & pop.

The Calling – and how hope lets you shine

Oftentimes ‘calling’ is seen as a ‘church’ thing. But really calling comes in grades just like colors come in shades. Sometimes professional, sometimes spiritual. More generally for Rihanna and Harvey, it’s the true essence for which before they were born they were equipped to be a lighthouse to the world.

The Purpose – and how heart-string lets you care

It seems like Rihanna is expanding her global outreach with a greater sense of purpose. Purpose for her might be to raise-up kids with broader educational opportunities. Purpose for Harvey might be to train-up young boys into manhood. In other words, purpose is about how they serve some earthly good.

The Flow – and how love-force lets you go

Imagine if the ocean had no current, what would make it go? If your home had no electricity, what would make your devices go? Well love-force is like current and electricity. It lets you go. And whether the going for Rihanna and Harvey is about ‘hustle love’ at work or play it lets them move and groove.

Rumor has it Rihanna’s working on her next project. Some say it’s gonna to be reggae-strong. Time will tell. In the meantime, she’s busy putting her passion to work in other ways. Who knows what Harvey’s got up his sleeves. But as they travel the 4-corners of success they get to level-up their name and their game.

Tip: Successful people use GPS as their ‘Go-to Positioning System’ to get things poppin’ and rollin’ for a great performance at work.

Talkback: Was the Emmys a hit or a miss? Was there a ‘cheek pinch’ moment?

As the ‘lazy hazy crazy’ days of summer get ready to roll on, fans at home and abroad will be cheering their sports teams. Whether it’s at the College World Series on the baseball diamond or the World Cup on the soccer field, they’ll be watching for that big play while chewing on their favorite snack foods.

These days, Oprah’s summer reading is giving some press to Tom Brady’s new book. On a recent interview on OWN he talked about his ‘winning ways’ and approach to peak performance. Meanwhile, the summer TV ratings are getting a big kick out of Celebrity Family Feud hosted by Steve Harvey.

Some people ‘feel the love’ for Brady and Harvey for how they’ve risen to the occasion time after time. In a sense, they’ve turned their work muscle and side hustle into a formula for rocking their game. Brady’s a 5-time Superbowl champion. Harvey’s hosting so many TV shows that bring laughs to young and old.

They enjoy the best work life ever in their field of dreams as masters of their game by acing the process. Plus they act like a player, think like a brand and keep taking their game to the next level. They work at getting the best out of themselves while inspiring peers, teammates and fans to reach higher and higher.

In a few weeks Brady will be spending a little less time on the golf course and more time in training camp. Harvey on the other hand just wrapped-up quality time spent with young boys at his mentoring camp. Both seem to practice the things needed for peak performance and market appeal by balancing:

Main hustle vs side hustle

When you think of an entrée menu item there’s usually a main thing and some ‘sides.’ Similarly, on the success menu there’s usually a main hustle and some ‘sides.’ Brady’s main thing is football skills. Harvey’s main thing is comedy skills. But they have ‘sides’ like author and philanthropist to go along.

Heart & soul vs silver and gold

Some fans might have a love/hate relationship with Brady or Harvey. It’s as if one day folks love them, another day not so much. But most won’t deny that it’s the heart and soul they bring to the game that adds to the party. They show us how heart & soul gives more ‘feeling and meaning’ to our silver & gold.

Grow in score vs grow in service

Brady says he wants to play a few more years as long as he’s still competitive and having fun. While doing that he wants to be able to grown in score and in service. One deals with putting points on the board that leads to a win. The other deals with putting points on the map that leads to a legacy.

Shine with mojo vs shine with flow

The joy in what they do shines through. Brady might not always carry a smile on his face but there’s an excitement he brings to fans when he’s on his game. Harvey’s known for making faces especially when talking with kids. They use their personal strengths to shine in ways that spread mojo and stir market flow.

So how’d Brady go from being drafted 199 of 200 to having one of the highest QB ratings? How’d Harvey go from stand-up to having the highest ratings on ABC’s Fun & Games Sunday line-up? They chose well from the success menu and now they get to shake their groove thing on the playing field and big stage.

Tip: Choosing the right entrée from the success menu means balancing your main hustle and side hustle in a way that adds heart and soul as well as silver and gold to your game.

2018 ThemeThe Year of ‘Got Shine?’: Where The Things You Know and How You Flow Bring More Star Power for Sure

Things on the East Coast these days might be a little topsy-turvy with political back and forth. Things on the West Coast were a little nerve-wracking after the Tsunami warning. But Hollywood kept the lights on to make this year’s Oscar nominations. Awards season is in full swing and Sterling K. Brown is on a roll.

He made history in winning a SAG award as the first black male actor in a category. He pulled-off a similar feat earlier in winning an Emmy. He’s not the only one on a roll as Mary J Blige got her Hollywood Star recently. She’s also getting Oscar buzz with her nomination and showing us how to bounce back.

Just ask Steve Harvey about being on a roll. His revamped talk show was renewed for a second season. They remind us to act like a success, think like the best and see what the next level shall be. It’s doing what you love and loving what you do. But it’s really how they tap-in to the five success groups of life.

Everybody shows up with talents and gifts. These and other asset groups are like bread slices. They feed our success which feeds our family. Books have a table of contents. Food items have a nutrition table of contents. Well it’s the five success groups that help them stay on a roll in order to reach their goal.

The saying goes “You get out what you put in.” Not only do they tap-in, they also put-in to stay on point. It’s not always easy or a slam dunk. How that’s done differs from one job role to the next. They know that when you act like a success and think like the best, sooner or later you get to beat-on your chest.

So whether it’s to keep that 2018 resolution on track, make that career move or put that dream project in breakout mode, here’s what stars like them do to get more out of life’s success groups. Before they can beat on their chest the key is in answering four questions for how they might:

Think like the best poker player and ask what’s in your hand?

Every card player gets dealt a hand. It’s the starting point for how they play the game. Every breakout star turns the talents and gifts they were dealt into something that’s widely felt. Plus, what’s in your hand isn’t just about the cards you can play but about handling your business when your number gets dealt.

Think like the best game-changer and ask what’s in your hustle?

There’re stats that players use to get a sense for their averages. Every sport has its main stats that help determine performance. No two stats are the same but one thing’s certain is that hustle can change the game. Athletes who’re able to stay on a roll or go to the next level bring extra hustle beyond the muscle.

Think like the best song-writer and ask what’s in your hook?

There’s the hook and there’s the chorus that keep us humming our favorite song. The chorus gets repeated two or three times. The hook is the vibe-line that gives the track more playback. It’s what keeps a business, brand or relationship on a roll. It’s the hook that keeps the folks coming for more playback.

Think like the best stage performer or social leader and ask what’s in your hope?

Nobody gets up on stage and hopes to be a flop. You expect to do your best and leave an impression or excitement with fans in the audience. Moreover, most social leaders pursue an agenda where there is some worthy objective. The things you hope for are those for which you feel worthy or feel are worth it.

Years ago someone helped me see what’s ‘in my hand.’ It’s an asset sometimes delivered through ideas, insights and maybe a dose of inspiration. Music adds to how I bring a hook or extra hustle beyond my writing muscle. This way I’m putting my talents and gifts to work to meet life’s situations with finesse.

Tip: The things that keep you on a roll involve using what’s in your hand to bring hustle to your passion and the hook to your brand playback.

Talkback: What’s the hook to your favorite song that keeps it on playback?

What do Kevin Hart and Steve Harvey have in common? They made their names in comedy. How about DJ Khaled and Charlamagne Tha God? They made early waves in radio. But there’s something else they all have in common: ‘finding flow.’ It’s the thing that gets us up in the morning even if we don’t know it.

Over the past year or so they all published books telling their story of love, luck and living large. They might have taken different roads to glory but seem to share a common theme of going from humble beginnings to becoming pop culture icons. In a sense, finding flow got turned into their awesome sauce.

So what does this really mean in the regular world? Whether it takes an alarm clock (or not) to wake us up, the thing that gets us up and moving is the idea of powering our flow. This could be growing in areas of ambition, taking social action or experiencing life’s moments of adventure and pure satisfaction.

That’s certainly the case when you read the stories of Harvey, Hart, Khaled and Charlamagne. Plus they shared personal examples of getting a ‘heavenly assist’ from someone along their path. They got a break in a phone call that was unexpected, an opportunity that was unheralded or situation that was unscripted.

One of the lessons in their stories on powering flow starts by putting passion where your mouth is, purpose where your heart is and pain where the truth is. Things we give voice to most or face up to tell us who we are, what we love and care about. These become stronger from a place that’s close to the heart.

The way they handled setbacks as well as my own story are reminders that finding & powering flow can happen from a brush with failure or a stroke of faith. In my case it was from hosting a radio show on a college station. While I was on air someone decided to pull the plug which interrupted the broadcast.

At that moment I decided not to fight back but to go way back and apply a stroke of faith. This made me learn more about the ‘Joseph story.’ His dream helped me see my own gifting and calling. Sometimes finding/powering flow means appreciating the people, places, pitfalls or pathways that confirm your story.

In these major keys we realize how not to let mistakes or other people’s human faults be our halts. Each of the icons has a story to tell of how they changed their luck, made a buck or got a relationship unstuck. Through the ups and downs they were simply trying to turn flow into reaping the good they would sow.

We enjoy artists when they perform with flow-motion. This brings together ‘lyrics and groove’ in a way that rocks. It’s fun when athletes at work or play get to deliver flow-magic. We cheer them for how they inspire us towards greatness. That’s the feeling we can hope for each day from living large in a flow nation.

Imagine how a brook becomes a stream or a stream becomes a river that leads to the ocean by finding flow. Or as a car goes from zero to 60 on the highway it finds its flow with the rest of traffic. Powering our flow takes us from zero to 60 or from feeling less to feeling worthy in the low or high tides of life’s ocean.